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Posted October 13, 2013 12:06 am

JUNEAU EMPIRE

Exxon Valdez litigation records cataloged at state archives

Litigation records related to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound are now available to the public. The two-year project to appraise, organize and archive 6,100 boxes of records resulted in archivists selecting 918 boxes for permanent preservation at the State Archives in Juneau.

Project staff created a dictionary with definitions of 1,400 acronyms and technical terminology, a list of more the 2,500 participants and a list of resources and links to assist researchers.

The project was funded by a $109,267 grant from the National Archives. In March, U.S. District Judge H. Russel Holland expressed concern that the project might indirectly affect an ongoing dispute in a spill-related case against Exxon. The project allowed archivists to determine which records had permanent value and which could be disposed of. Once the case is settled, the state may dispose of the nonpermanent files.